A review by ansate
The Day of Atonement, by David Liss

4.0

David Liss has fully transformed into someone who writes action movies in a historical context. (I would suggest who would star in the movie, but the plot also relies heavily on the naivete of someone who is under 25) The setting is fascinating and well researched. 1770s Lisbon is now somewhere I can imagine, and give you some differences from the rest of 18th century Europe. [return][return]HERE THERE BE SPOILERS[return][return][return]The action movie ness of it takes away the suspense. You KNOW he's going to win every fight. You KNOW that even though things get as bad as possible, he's going to make his way out of it. [return][return]This is not a condemnation - it makes it a faster read and a bit of a fun ride. I wouldn't have finished it last night if I hadn't wondered HOW he was going to fix everything in the last 75 pages. (And I've read every Jack Reacher book, I have nothing against action novels.) [return][return]But this is a bit of a change for David Liss, unless my memory is faulty - I thought I remembered more complex protagonists, with more thoughtful approaches to problem solving.